The Five Pennies -- Clifford Curry, Benjamin Washington, Charles Holloway, Herbert Myers, and John and James Myers (twins) -- met in high school in Knoxville, TN. Prior to Curry's involvement, they recorded four years earlier as the Echos (unreleased) and backed Faye Adams on her number one smash Shake a Hand.

Things started poppin' after Curry joined, their manager, Fred Logan (a big bootlegger in Knoxville), got them a deal with Savoy Records in Newark, NJ. Savoy's owner Herman Lubinsky renamed them the Five Pennies (though there were actually six members) to avoid confusion with another group. Out the box they backed Big Al Miller on All Is Well b/w Try to Understand (1955), credited as Big Al Miller the Five Pennies. Savoy followed with the first released credited solely to the Five Pennies Mr. Moon b/w Let It Rain (1955); the A-Side Mr. Moon, a Curry composition, is quintessential '50s doo wop with a southern flavor. Their final Savoy release, My Heart Trembles b/w Money, made a little noise but not much, a consortium of Curry, Holloway, Washington, and Herbert and James Myers collaborated on both sides.

They cut six tracks for Savoy but only 2 singles surfaced. Herald Records acquired the masters and rights to two tracks (Wedding Bells and Put This Ring on Your Finger) in 1956 but shelved them; they didn't see daylight until King Tut Records exposed them in the '80s. According to Curry, the group also recorded his Mine for a Lifetime (unreleased) for Savoy. The members splintered. John Myers banded with the Chimes for two Arrow Records' singles in 1957, and then the Four Jokers for one Sue single in 1958. In 1964, he revived the Five Pennies as the Four Pennies for one release on Brunswick Records, You're a Gas With Your Trash written by John Myers and You Have No Time to Lose composed by Bill Buie, Johnny Ellis, and Joseph Myers.

John Myers moved to Tampa, FL, in the early '60s; he gave it another try via Motown's VIP label in 1970 with a group he assembled in Tampa, the Hearts of Stone, who had an album and two single releases on VIP produced by Hank Cosby. Herbert and James Myers live in Knoxville and now sing only gospel music, they didn't participate in the Hearts of Stone. Ben Washington and Charles Holloway relocated to New York, NY, where Holloway hasn't been seen or heard from in years. Curry went solo and charted with She Shot a Whole in My Soul on Elf Records in 1967. Curry maintained high level of activity, and in January 2000, he rushed to record a Toyota commercial. ~ Andrew Hamilton, Rovi